LB 

141 
N48 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGION/ 

2  s=§ 

.IT 

SUPERINTENDENTS  ANNUAL 
AD  DRESS  TO  THE  TEACHERS, 
MASTERS  AND  SUPERVISORS 
OF  THE  NEWTON  PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


I 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 

This  book  i«  PTT  nn  *<•-  '  r -  •'  below. 


WHAT  ARE  YOU  DOING  ? 
WHY  ARE  YOU  DOING  IT? 
WHY  DO  YOU  DO  IT  LIKE  THAT  ? 

/7S3  7 


THE 

Superintendent's  Annual  Address 

TO  THE 

Teachers,  Masters  and  Supervisors 

OF  THE 

Newton  Public  Schools 

OCTOBER,   IQ07 
Printed  with  Additions  and  Questions 


1908 


FANNING    PRINTING   CO. 

NEWTON    UPPER    FALLS,   MASS. 

1907. 


FOREWORD. 

To  the  Teachers,  Masters,  and  Supervisors 
of  the  Newton  Public  Schools  : 

We  school  people  generally,  —  superintendents,  masters, 
teachers,  —  waste  much  time  in  talking  and  hearing,  in  writ- 
ing and  reading,  about  professional  matters.  The  endless 
stream  of  talk  and  literature  which  flows  unceasingly  from 
our  conventions,  our  meetings,  and  our  educational  press, 
interests  us  and  bores  us,  delights  us  and  disgusts  us, 
inspires  us  and  discourages  us,  excites  our  approval  and 
arouses  our  opposition ;  but  it  all  fails  to  make  much 
impression  on  our  work. 

We  lead  dual  lives.  We  lead  a  life  of  thought  and 
theory,  of  dreams  and  visions,  of  argument  and  discussion, 
too  little  influenced  by  actual  facts  and  conditions  ;  and  we 
lead  a  life  of  practice,  too  generally  mechanical,  routine 
practice,  unenlightened  and  undirected  by  thought  and 
ideal.  Some  of  us  find  our  chief  delight  in  the  life  of  ideas 
and  pride  ourselves  upon  it ;  among  our  numbers  may  be 
reckoned  most  superintendents,  educational  lecturers  and 
writers,  many  supervisors,  some  principals,  but  very  few 
teachers.  Others  of  us  are  devoted  to  the  "  practical  "  life, 
and  pride  ourselves  upon  it;  our  numbers  are  composed 
mostly  of  "  just  plain  teachers  "  ,  with  many  principals,  some 
supervisors  and  superintendents. 


IV 

None  of  us  has  occasion  for  pride  in  his  attitude. 
Such  pride  is  an  isolating  force,  both  in  the  life  of  the  indi- 
vidual and  in  the  profession  ;  we  are  all  losers  by  it.  What 
we  most  need  is  to  come  together,  to  come  together  frankly, 
without  restraint,  in  the  spirit  of  mutual  helpfulness,  that 
we  may  lead  a  single  professional  life.  Only  thus  can  we 
test  our  theories  and  give  substance  to  our  ideals ;  only  thus 
can  we  improve  our  practice ;  only  thus  can  we  develop  that 
insight  and  discrimination  which  we  supremely  need  in  our 
dealing  both  with  thoughts  and  with  things. 

These  considerations  have  led  me  to  have  printed  the 
address  to  which  you  have  already  listened.  In  doing  this 
I  am  aware  that  I  take  the  risk  of  adding  to  the  waste  of 
time  and  effort  which  may  have  been  occasioned  by  the  talk 
and  hearing,  the  further  waste  arising  from  printing  and, 
possibly,  reading. 

If  the  whole  matter  is  to  rest  with  the  talk  and  the 
hearing,  the  printing  and  the  reading,  it  will  surely  be 
hardly  worth  the  time  and  the  trouble.  But  it  is  my  hope 
and  intention  that  it  shall  not  rest  here.  I  want  to  make 
sure  that  every  one  in  our  corps  of  instructors  fully  grasps 
and  clearly  comprehends  the  main  principles  stated  and  the 
general  propositions  laid  down  in  the  address.  I  want, 
then,  to  find  out  whether  those  principles  and  those  proposi- 
tions are  possibly  unsafe  or  unsound.  At  present  I  believe 
in  them  very  firmly,  but  I  am  open  to  conviction.  If  they 
are  untenable,  I  want  to  abandon  them ;  if  they  are  only 
partially  sound,  I  want  to  modify  them. 

When  we  have  comprehended,  and  have  convinced 
ourselves  of  the  soundness  of  these  principles  and  proposi- 


tions,  modified,  if  need  be,  then,  it  is  my  desire  that  we 
apply  ourselves  to  the  working  of  them  out  fully  and  wisely 
in  our  schools.  I  realize  that  this  will  be  no  easy  matter. 
It  will  require  patience  and  mutual  helpfulness ;  full  suc- 
cess will  probably  come  only  after  and  through  many 
mistaken  efforts. 

In  these  efforts  at  comprehension  and  practical  realiza- 
tion of  the  program  proposed,  it  seems  wise,  even  necessary, 
that  we  each  have  that  program  by  us  in  printed  form.  For 
the  purpose  of  directing  more  effectively,  but  not  of  restrict- 
ing, our  thoughts  and  practical  efforts,  I  have  appended 
suggestive  questions. 

This  document  will  be  made  the  basis  of  our  Masters' 
Conferences  as  long  as  its  consideration  proves  fruitful.  It 
is  hoped  that  masters  and  supervisors  will  also  find  it 
profitable  for  use  in  their  teachers'  meetings,  individual 
conferences,  and  supervision  generally. 


Newton ville,  Mass. 
October  15,  1907. 


F.  E.  Spaulding, 

Superintendent. 


WHAT   ARE   YOU    DOING? 
WHY   ARE    YOU   DOING   IT? 

WHY   DO    YOU   DO    IT   LIKE    THAT? 

I1S31 

Three  questions  more  abruptly  simple,  more  profoundly- 
searching,  more  intensely  practical,  more  widely  applicable, 
one  cannot  ask.  The  little  child  can  comprehend  and 
answer  them,  yet  they  exhaust  the  wisdom  of  the  sage. 
To  be  required  to  answer  these  three  questions  would  be 
at  once  the  fairest  and  the  most  difficult  test  that  could  be 
given  any  one  of  us.  It  would  be  equally  fair  and  equally 
difficult  for  kindergartner,  grade  teacher,  master,  high 
school  teacher  and  special  supervisor.  What  are  you  doing? 
Why  are  you  doing  it?     Why  do  you  do  it  like  that? 

While  these  questions  apply  to  each  one  of  us,  they  are 
not  general,  but  extremely  definite.  They  apply  to  the 
most  trivial  and  incidental  phase,  as  well  as  to  the  whole 
scope  and  purpose  of  each  one's  work.  Just  what  are  you 
doing  now?  Why  are  you  doing  that?  Why  do  you  do  it 
in  that  particular  way? 

An  Honest  Self-Catechism. 

These  questions  are  so  altogether  blunt  and  direct  that 
we  instinctively  hesitate  to  put  them  to  another  ;  they  are 
quite  likely  to  be  embarrassing ;  under  many  circumstances, 
they  would  be  rightly  considered  impertinent.  Most  of  us 
hesitate  even  more  to  put  them  to  ourselves.  Rarely  do  we 
call  upon  ourselves  seriously  and  persistently  to  give  honest 
answers  to  these  questions.  Perhaps  we  should  find  it 
embarrassing,  impertinent,  —  even  more  embarrassing  and 
impertinent  than  to  be  thus  called  to  account  by  another. 


2  WHY   ARE   YOU    DOING   IT? 

However  that  may  be,  I  am  persuaded  that  a  frequent, 
honest  self-catechism  of  this  kind  is  most  salutary.  And  I 
wish  you  to  join  me,  at  this  opportune  time,  in  making  such 
inquiry  into  the  results,  the  purposes,  and  the  methods  of 
our  work  in  the  Newton  schools. 

Ideals  vs.  Practice. 
Let  us  exercise  the  utmost  frankness  and  good-will 
toward  ourselves,  with  the  sole  purpose  of  seeing  things  as 
they  are,  that  we  may  make  them  what  they  ought  to  be. 
Let  us  remind  ourselves  and  agree  at  the  outset  that  there 
are  two  sets  of  answers  to  these  questions  concerning  what 
we  are  doing,  our  purpose  and  methods  in  doing  it.  There 
are  our  conscious  answers  in  words,  and  there  are  the  silent, 
often  unconscious  answers  to  be  discovered  in  our  acts. 
These  two  sets  of  answers  may  be  in  accord,  or  they  may  be 
absolutely  contradictory.  We  may  think  we  are  doing  one 
thing,  working  in  one  direction,  when  we  are  really  doing 
something  else,  working  in  a  quite  different  direction.  We 
carry  about  with  us  a  stock  of  principles,  ideals,  and  rules  of 
action,  —  high  sounding  phrases,  which  we  find  convenient 
to  use  in  discussion  and  argument ;  they  often  have  little 
influence  on  our  practice.  This  condition  is  not  usually 
due  to  dishonesty,  to  wilful  deception;  we  really  think  we 
are  carrying  out  our  ideals.  We  think,  for  instance,  we  are 
training  our  pupils  to  be  honest  and  truthful,  when  we  are 
really  encouraging  dishonesty  and  falsehood;  we  think  we 
are  making  them  strong  when  we  are  making  them  weak. 
So  it  behooves  us  to  seek  the  answers  to  our  questions 
particularly  in  oui  acts,  giving  preference  to  this  testimony 
whenever  there  is  disagreement.     And  it  is  obviously  of  the 


WHY   DO   YOU    DO   IT   LIKE   THAT?  3 

first  importance  that  we  realize  any  disagreement  that  may 
exist  between  our  ideas  and  the  facts,  between  our  ideals 
and  our  practice. 

The  Purpose  and  Effect  of  Our 
General  School  Organization  and  Management. 

Let  us  first  direct  our  inquiry  to  the  purpose  and  the 
effect  of  our  general  school  organization  and  management. 
Most  of  us  think,  or  assume  without  thinking,  that  the 
schools  exist  for  the  children ;  that  they  are  organized 
and  managed  as  they  are,  because  such  organization  and 
management  is  determined  by  the  highest  welfare  of  the 
pupils.  But,  let  us  propose  any  marked  change  in  this 
organization ;  how  is  such  proposal  received  ?  From  what 
point  of  view  is  the  proposed  change  regarded?  What 
questions  are  asked  ? 

Does  the  first  eager  inquiry  concern  the  effect  of  the 
proposed  change  on  the  pupils,  the  advantages  and  the 
disadvantages  that  may  be  expected  to  accrue  to  them  as 
a  result  of  the  change  ?  Seldom.  We  hear,  rather,  such 
queries  and  comments  as  these.  "  I  haven't  time.  I  have 
more  than  I  can  do  now."  "  That  upsets  all  my  plans." 
"  What  shall  I  say  to  the  parents  ?  I  must  protect  myself 
from  them."  "  With  that  scheme,  how  can  you  mark  a 
pupil?  How  can  you  determine  whether  A  or  B  should 
have  the  higher  mark  ?  "  "  Teachers  are  not  required  to  do 
that  in  such  and  such  a  city,  or  anywhere  else  that  I  ever 
heard  of."  "  We  can  never  '  cover  the  work  '  of  the  grade." 
"  What  will  someone  think  if  he  comes  into  my  room  ? " 
"  I  am  afraid  it  will  lower  the  standard  of  my  school."  "  It 
will  lower  my  record  of  promotions."     "  It  will  destroy  all 


4  WHAT   ARE    YOU    DOING? 

uniformity."  "  I  wonder  what  will  be  thought  of  next ; 
these  new  notions  keep  things  so  stirred  up  all  the  time ;  I 
do  wish  we  might  be  allowed  to  'settle  down'  to  something 
and  stick  to  it.  But  I  suppose  it  will  have  to  be  done ;  I 
wouldn't  want  to  appear  obstinate  or  unwilling  to  undertake 
what  is  expected  of  me."     And  so  on. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  half-hearted  irrelevancies,  how 
we  long  for  the  refreshment  even  of  a  vigorous  protest  in 
the  name  of  the  children,  though  it  were  mistaken!  It 
would  at  least  serve  to  focus  attention  on  what  ought  to  be 
the  decisive  consideration. 

I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  attitude  unmistakably 
indicated  by  these  quotations  is  universal,  but  I  think  you 
will  recognize  it  as  quite  generally  characteristic.  I  do  not 
mean  to  say  that  the  time  and  effort  required  of  a  teacher 
or  master,  the  upsetting  of  cherished  habits,  the  relative 
correctness  of  marks,  even,  are  unworthy  of  consideration. 
I  would  not  for  a  moment  imply  that  we,  as  a  rule,  are 
unwilling  to  devote  time  and  strength  without  stint  to  our 
work ;  on  the  contraiy,  I  believe  the  tendency  is  rather  to 
overdo.  By  no  means  do  I  wish  to  say  that  the  welfare  of 
our  pupils  is  given  little  consideration.  On  the  contrary,  I 
believe  we  tend  to  be  overconsiderate,  to  do  too  much  for 
our  pupils,  under  established  conditions,  under  a  routine  that 
is  dear  to  us.  almost  sacred.  And  this  is  the  point,  the 
vital  point,  at  which  the  interests  of  the  child  are  secondary, 
are  even  unconsidered.  Machinery  and  routine  must  be 
kept  inviolate.  The  child  must  fit  the  established  con- 
ditions, our  sacred  routine;  and  we  are  most  generous, 
prodigal  of  time  and  Btrengtb  in  our  efforts  to  make  him  fit. 


why  are  you  doing  it?  5 

Rigid  Schemes  of  Grading  and  Promotion. 

Let  us  be  more  specific.  We  have  long  been  spending 
our  best  efforts  and  suffering  our  deepest  anxieties  in  our 
attempt  to  make  every  pupil  fit  a  rigid  scheme  of  grading 
and  promotion,  a  scheme  whose  decree  is,  as  some  one 
has  tersely  and  aptly  said :  "In  together,  all  together,  on 
together,  out  together."  I  think  we  are  beginning,  most  of 
us,  to  realize  some  of  the  evils  of  this  plan,  to  appreciate 
something  of  the  violence  which  it  works  to  the  needs  of 
our  pupils.  And  we  are  earnestly  trying  throughout  the 
city  to  correct  this  abuse.  I  am  satisfied  that  we  are 
making  progress,  that  the  conditions  of  grading  and 
promotion  are  more  favorable  to  the  pupil  today  than  they 
were  two  years  ago.  But  I  am  also  convinced  that  much  of 
the  improvement  is  due  to  the  substitution  of  a  new  scheme 
of  grading  and  promotion  for  the  old,  a  new  scheme  which 
is  in  danger  of  becoming  just  as  rigid,  just  as  sacred,  as  the 
old,  if  it  is  not  already  so. 

If  we  divide  a  class  into  two  divisions,  get  those 
divisions  five  feet,  or  five  months  apart,  and  hold  them 
there ;  if  we  divide  a  grade  into  two  or  three  classes,  get 
and  hold  these  classes  so  many  feet  or  so  many  months 
apart,  we  still  have  an  inflexible  system  whose  integrity 
takes  precedence  over  the  requirements  of  any  or  all  pupils. 
Such  a  system  is  an  improvement  over  one  of  yearly  grades 
and  annual  promotions ;  pupils  may  be  fitted  to  it  with 
somewhat  less  violence ;  there  is  greater  freedom  of 
movement  up  or  down  the  scale.  But  the  spirit  of  its 
administration  is  the  same  as  before ;  the  system  exists  for 
itself,  not  for  the  pupils.     They  must  be  fitted  to  it;  there 


6  WHY   DO   YOU    DO   IT   LIKE   THAT? 

is  no  serious  thought  of  fitting  it  to  them.  That  would 
mean  constant  change  in  the  system ;  we  couldn't  predict 
just  where  our  class,  our  class,  mind  you,  that  we  call  IV  B 
today,  will  be  five  months  or  five  years  hence.  The 
attitude,  the  point  of  view,  has  not  changed  a  particle ;  it 
is  just  what  it  was  before  the  modifications  in  the  scheme  of 
grading  and  promotion  were  made;  and  it  is  radically  wrong. 
Keeping  Children  Together. 

Indications  of  these  mechanical  conditions,  of  this 
perversion  of  our  purposes,  are  innumerable ;  I  meet  them 
every  day.  I  will  mention  only  two,  these  two  of  frequent 
occurrence,  perhaps  we  should  rather  say  in  constant 
evidence.  A  teacher,  or  a  master,  says  to  me,  "  Here  is  a 
small  class,  only  twenty-five  children;  they  are  well-graded; 
I  have  decided  to  work  them  together:  they  can  be  kept 
together  in  everything."  Of  course  they  can  be  kept 
together !  But  what  natural  interests  of  those  children 
demand  that  they  should  be  kept  together?  Could  an}^thing 
indicate  more  conclusively  that  the  system  and  not  the  child 
is  paramount,  is  to  dominate  all  the  work  in  that  room  ? 
Mass  Work  vs.  Individual  Work. 

I  am  not  unmindful  of  the  advantages,  both  to  teacher 
and  child,  of  such  close  grading  that  pupils  can  profitably 
recite  together.  A  teacher  of  only  twenty-five  children 
cannot  dispense  with  class  work,  ought  not  to  dispense  with 
it  if  she  could.  But  class  recitations,  —  this  is  the  point, 
—  the  possibility  of  grouping  together  advantageously  a 
number  of  children  into  one  class,  should  be  a  wholly 
incidental  outgrowth  of  the  treatment  of  those  children  in 
accordance  with  their  individual  needs. 


WHAT   ARE   YOU    DOING?  7 

Because  a  certain  twenty-five  children  can  recite 
together  today  there  is  no  good  reason  for  thinking  that 
they  can  continue  together  advantageously  for  six  months 
or  a  year.  If  they  should  so  continue,  which  is  not  at  all 
impossible,  while  full  justice  is  being  done  to  the  needs 
of  each,  well  and  good.  But  the  moment  the  teacher 
determines  that  they  shall  so  continue,  she  has  determined 
the  whole  character  of  her  work.  She  has  determined  to 
teach  a  class,  and  not  individuals ;  she  has  determined  to  fit 
her  pupils  to  a  class  scheme,  instead  of  using  the  class 
organization  in  the  interests  of  her  pupils ;  she  has  probably 
determined,  albeit  unconsciously,  to  treat  her  pupils  as 
passive,  rather  than  as  active  beings ;  to  do  for  them  much 
that  they  ought  to  do  for  themselves ;  to  load  their  memories 
instead  of  exercising  their  powers  of  observation,  of 
comparison,  of  judgment  and  reason. 

The  Fundamental  Importance  of 
Our  Conception  of  School  Machinery. 

The  important  thing  is  our  attitude,  our  point  of  view, 
the  conception  we  have  of  all  this  machinery  of  our  schools ; 
that  will  determine  whether  we  master  the  machinery  and 
use  it,  or  whether  we  are  to  be  mastered  and  used  by  it. 
The  teacher  with  forty  or  fifty  pupils  says  it  is  almost 
impossible  for  her  to  do  individual  work ;  we  appreciate 
the  difficulties ;  we  sympathize,  and  admit  that  with  such 
numbers  good  work  of  this  kind  should  not  be  expected. 
But  when  the  same  teacher  with  only  twenty-five  pupils 
deliberately  takes  advantage  of  the  improved  conditions  to 
do  more  rigid  mass  work  than  before,  we  conclude  that  she 
has  no  conception  of  the  real  meaning  of  individual  work. 


S  WHY   ARE   YOU    DOING   IT? 

That  teacher  would  still  do  mass  work  if  she  had  only  one 
pupil. 

Individual  work  does  not  depend  primarily  upon  the 
number  of  our  pupils.  Numbers  may  make  individual  work 
unsatisfactory,  difficult,  even  impossible;  but  without  the 
right  conception  there  will  be  no  individual  work,  no  matter 
what  the  number  of  our  pupils. 

One  More  Indication  of  the 
Paramountcy  of  Routine. 

One  more  indication  of  the  paramountcy  of  system,  of 
routine,  and  of  the  subordination  of  the  pupils  as  indiviuals* 
Are  we  not  pretty  generally  agreed  that,  on  stormy  days, 
when  we  listen  in  vain  for  the  no-school  signal,  and  when 
our  attendance  is  considerably  affected,  the  work  does  not 
amount  to  much?  Those  children  who  come  —  how  we 
wish  they  had  all  stayed  at  home!  —  we  keep  busy  in  more 
or  less  harmless  ways.  But  at  best  they  are  only  marking 
time ;  we  know  it,  and  they  know  it.  Do  they  not  even 
carry  that  truth  back  to  their  homes,  with  the  result  that 
every  stormy  day  many  children  are  kept  at  home,  not 
because  the  storm  is  considered  too  severe  for  them  to  go 
out,  but  because  the  parents  know  that  the  day  at  school 
will  amount  to  little  or  nothing?  If  we  were  teaching 
individual  pupils,  and  not  classes  and  masses,  if  each  pupil's 
advancement  wen;  limited  only  by  his  own  ability  and 
rtions,  it  OUT  chief  efforts  were  given  to  the  help  and 
progress  «'i'  each  pupil  aeeording  to  his  need  and  ability, 
instead  of  to  tin;  fitting  of  all  pupils  to  our  school 
machinery,    would   the  stormy  day  be  of  so  little  worth? 


WHY   DO    YOU   DO   IT   LIKE   THAT?  9 

Would  it  not  rather  be  an  unusually  profitable  day  for  those 
in  attendance? 

Our  willing,  eager  subjection  to  uniformity,  to  routine, 
is  not  confined  to  these  larger  matters  of  class  organization, 
grading  and  promotion;  it  is  altogether  too  characteristic 
of  much  of  the  detail  of  our  work,  of  our  methods  of 
instruction.  We  will  mention  here  only  two  or  three  of  its 
typical  manifestations,  merely  for  illustration. 

The  Use  and  Abuse  of  FoitMULiE. 

Consider  the  use,  or  rather  the  abuse,  for  it  is  chiefly 
that,  of  formulae.  Do  you  appreciate  the  real  function  of  a 
formula?  It  serves  usually,  if  it  serves  at  all,  as  a 
substitute  for  thought.  To  be  more  exact,  the  formula 
enables,  encourages,  often  compels,  the  pupil  using  it,  to 
think  on  the  lowest  plane,  to  limit  himself  to  the  almost 
mechanical  process  of  fitting  factors  to  the  terms  of  the 
formula.  The  pupil's  attention  is  riveted  to  the  formula, 
which,  more  often  than  not,  is  beyond  his  comprehension ; 
he  fails  to  grasp  the  real  significance  of  the  factors  of  his 
problem,  their  relation  to  each  other ;  they  interest  him  only 
as  possible  terms  of  the  formula.  When  he  has  solved  this 
problem  in  this  way  he  is  no  wiser  than  before.  Let  him 
solve  a  hundred  problems  by  the  same  formula ;  the  only 
result  is  a  mechanical  facility  in  the  use  of  that  particular 
formula.  He  has  gained  no  power  in  grasping  and  dealing 
with  conditions  at  first  hand,  relying  on  his  own  intel- 
ligence and  insight.  He  has  probably  gained  no  time,  even, 
if  that  is  a  consideration  worthy  of  mention,  in  the  solution 
of  the  problems.      For,  unhampered  by  the  formula,  he  is 


io  WHAT  ARE   YOU    DOING? 

almost  sure  to  discover  shorter  ways  of  solving  many  of 
them. 

Now,  I  would  not  banish  formulae,  any  more  than  I 
would  abolish  class  work.  Just  as  the  class  organization  is 
most  serviceable  when  it  is  used  in  the  interest  of  the 
individuals  who  may  chance  to  compose  it,  so  the  formula 
may  be  most  serviceable  when  it  is  really  used  by  the  pupil. 
Just  as  it  is  an  abuse  of  the  class  organization  to  make  of  it 
a  rigid  mold  into  which  all  pupils  must  fit  and  in  which 
they  must  remain,  so  it  is  an  abuse  of  the  formula  to  require 
all  pupils  to  use  it,  or  to  require  or  even  to  encourage  any 
pupil  to  use  it  all  the  time. 

Because  one  or  a  dozen  of  his  forty  patients  has  a 
broken  or  weak  limb  which  needs  temporary  support,  the 
surgeon  does  not  forthwith  apply  splints  to  the  corre- 
sponding limb  of  the  whole  forty,  nor  does  he  keep  the 
weak  limb  bound  after  it  is  able  to  go  alone.  We  apply  our 
pedagogical  splints  indiscriminately;  we  retain  them  until 
they  become  shackles. 

Elaborate  Topical  Analyses. 

Elaborately  wrought  out  topical  analyses  of  a  subject, 
which  are  so  often  imposed  upon  pupils,  serve  a  function 
similar  to  that  of  formulae ;  they  are  a  substitute  for 
thought;  they  restrict  the  pupil's  mental  operation  to  the 
lower  planes.  His  chief  concern  becomes  the  fitting  of 
subject  matter  to  the  topics,  much  as  he  fitted  the  factors  of 
his  problem  to  the  terms  of  his  formula.  The  delight  and 
the  power  which  come  from  grappling  with  facts  and  ideas 
at  first  hand,  with  little  or  no  aid,  is  denied  him. 


WHY    ARE    YOU    DOING   IT?  u 

Instead  of  compelling,  even  of  assisting  the  pupil  to 
think  through  and  grasp  the  relations  of  the  facts  or  events 
to  which  they  refer,  too  generally  our  topics  have  just  the 
opposite  effect.  The  topic-tied  pupil  memorizes  mechanic- 
ally what  his  text-book  or  references  give  on  each  topic, 
with  little  effort  and  less  encouragement  to  master  through 
his  own  independent  thought  an  understanding  of  the 
significance  and  the  trend  of  the  events  or  ideas  with  which 
he  is  supposed  to  be  dealing.  But  the  very  order  and 
arrangement  of  the  topics,  you  say,  express  these  relations, 
show  even  to  the  pupil's  eye  the  connection  of  ideas  and  the 
progress  of  events.  Ah,  that  is  the  very  point !  The  one 
who  made  the  topics,  who  worked  them  out,  has  done  the 
thinking ;  he  has  done  for  the  pupil  what  the  pupil  ought  to 
do  as  fully  as  possible  for  himself.  Finally,  the  recitation 
"  by  topics  "  ,  as  it  is  not  infrequently  conducted,  serves  to 
complete  for  the  pupil  the  isolation  of  the  facts  and  ideas 
which  the  topics  individually  suggest.  Each  topic  is 
treated  as  though  it  were  complete  in  itself,  even  the 
natural  order  of  topics  not  infrequently  being  ignored. 
One  pupil  is  called  to  recite  on  one  topic ;  another  pupil  is 
called  to  recite  on  another  topic ;  no  one  is  called  to  tell 
what  the  topics  are  all  about. 

Just  because  we  have  ourselves  worked  out  the  topics 
we  use,  no  matter  how  independently,  let  us  not  deceive 
ourselves  as  to  their  effect.  From  the  standpoint  of  the 
pupil  on  whom  they  are  imposed,  they  differ  from  similar 
topics  which  we  can  easily  find  ready-made,  only  in  this, 
that  the  latter  are  probably  superior. 

Topics,  as  such,  are  not  to  be  despised ;    they  are  really 


12  WHY    DO   YOU    DO   IT   LIKE   THAT? 

indispensable.  But  they  belong  in  the  same  category 
with  grades,  class  organization  and  formulae.  Their  value 
consists  in  their  use,  in  their  ministration  to  pupils'  needs, 
not  in  their  domination. 

That  the  proper  use  and  function  of  topics  is  often 
misconceived  is  evidenced  in  this,  that  we  are  quite  likely 
to  find  them  imposed  in  greatest  luxuriance  in  the  high 
school.  If  the  pupil  were  trained  to  use  them,  that  is  to 
work  them  out  himself,  as  he  should  be,  their  imposition  by 
the  teacher  ought  to  diminish  with  the  advancement  of  the 
pupil.  We  have  here  another  iustance  of  the  splint  grown 
into  a  shackle. 

Objects  and  Deyices  Used  in  Primary  Grades. 

The  objects  and  devices  which  abound  in  the  primary 
grades  must  be  classed  with  topics  and  formulas.  While 
the  pupil  masters  them  and  uses  them,  they  are  of  great 
value.  The  moment  they  begin  to  get  the  mastery  over 
the  pupil,  to  restrict  him,  to  hamper  him,  to  keep  him 
working  on  lower  planes,  to  engage  him  doing  easy  things, 
mechanically,  when  he  is  capable  of  doing  hard  things, 
intelligently,  that  moment  they  become  a  curse. 

The  True  Place  and  Function  of 
System,  Organization,  Machinery. 

System,  organization,  on  a  large  scale,  and  on  small 
scales,  in  little  things  and  in  great,  is  indispensable  to 
efficiency.  But  all  our  organization,  all  our  system  must  be 
subordinate,  must  be  flexible,  must  be  capable  of  ready 
adaptation  to  the  one  supreme  factor  in  all  our  work,  —  the 
children,    as    individuals,    that   we    are    trying    to    educate. 


WHAT   ARE   YOU    DOING?  13 

We  must  control  all  the  machinery  with  which  we  are 
surrounded,  with  which  we  are  surrounding  ourselves,  in  the 
interests  of  these  children.  This  means  the  constant  study 
of  our  pupils,  to  find  out  their  individual  capacities,  their 
tendencies,  their  strength  and  their  weakness,  that  we  may 
see  what  they  require ;  it  means  the  constant  adaptation, 
modification,  elaboration,  invention  and  rejection,  of  plans 
of  classification  and  organization,  of  methods  and  devices. 
A  Subversive  Proposition. 

But  such  procedure  must  prove  subversive  of  all 
system,  do  you  say?  Not  at  all.  System  is  an  orderly 
arrangement  and  connection  of  things,  acts  and  ideas 
according  to  some  definite  plan.  Our  plan  does  not  lack 
definiteness.  We  propose  merely  to  elevate  the  children 
and  their  growing  and  varied  needs  to  the  dominant  place ; 
we  propose  to  quicken  our  dead  and  deadening  forms  and 
formalities  into  life,  to  make  them  serve  the  life  and 
development  of  our  children. 

The  proposition  is,  indeed,  subversive, — subversive  not 
of  system  itself,  however,  but  of  that  particular  and 
pernicious  system  which  subordinates  life  and  growth  to 
machinery. 

The  carrying  out  of  this  plan  will  change  much  of  our 
former  routine.  It  will  change  it  as  radically  as  we  must 
change  our  point  of  view.  It  will  assuredly  keep  things 
"  all  stirred  up  "  ;  it  will  necessitate  doing  today  something 
which  we  did  not  do  yesterday ;  something  different 
tomorrow,  and  again  the  next  day,  and  the  next;  it  will 
require  us  to  do  for  one  child  what  we  do  not  do  for 
another.      Are  all   these  changes,   which  we  cannot  make 


i4  WHY   ARE   YOU    DOING   IT? 

once  for  all  and  then  settle  down  again  into  a  different  order 
of  routine,  but  which  we  have  to  look  forward  to  day  after 
day  and  year  after  year;  are  they  abhorrent  to  us, 
unendurable?  Can  we  be  happy  only  in  unchanging 
surroundings,  busy  with  ever  repeated  activities  ?  If  so, 
then  we  ought  to  engage,  —  I  say  it  in  sincerity,  not  in 
sarcasm,  —  we  ought  to  engage  in  some  occupation  in  which 
uniformity  of  material,  uniformity  of  process,  and  uniformity 
of  product,  is  demanded. 

Individuals  vs.  Human  Units. 

The  vital,  original,  progressive  thought  and  work  of 
the  world  springs  from  individuals,  —  from  individuals  who 
have  developed,  each  one,  their  peculiar  talents,  and  who 
are  in  a  position  to  exercise  those  talents  freely.  Nothing 
originates  with  organized  masses  doing  the  machine-work 
of  the  world,  each  human  unit  going  through  the  same 
motions  as  hundreds  of  other  human  units  day  after  day, 
displaced  from  time  to  time  by  mechanical  appliances 
which  do  the  work  better  than  they  did. 

I  mean  no  reproach.  Machine-work  is  honorable ; 
organized  workers  may  be  just  as  deserving  of  respect,  as 
are  those  individuals  who  originate  and  initiate.  But  the 
former  are  legion ;  the  latter  are  rare.  The  relative 
numbers  of  these  two  classes  in  the  future  will  depend  in 
no  small  measure  upon  our  schools.  If  in  them  we  are 
constantly  looking  for  individual  capacity  and  developing 
it,  we  may  hope  to  multiply  the  men  and  women  of 
originality,  of  marked  talent,  of  genius,  even.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  we  mechanize  our  schools,  if,  even  here,  we 
organize   individuals   into   masses  of  human   units,  treating 


WHY   DO    YOU    DO   IT   LIKE   THAT?  15 

all  alike  and  compelling  all  to  go  through  the  same  routine, 

we  shall  have  done  our  best  to  turn  out  only  those  capable 

of  machine  work. 

The  Basis  of  Recent  Agricultural  Progress. 

More  progress  has  been  made  in  agricultural  science  in 

the  last  generation  than  in  all  the  previous  untold  centuries 

since  man  began  to  eat  bread  "  in  the  sweat  of  his  face." 

Why  ?     Simply  because  students  of  agriculture  broke  away 

from  routine ;  they  began  to  stud}'  the  habits  and  needs  of 

plants ;  they  began  to  adapt  their  means  and  methods  to 

definite  ends ;  and  the  results  have  been  marvelous.     It  is 

true,  there  are  still  not  wanting  old  farmers,  and  young 

ones  too,  who  scoff  at  these  new  notions;    they  prefer  to 

follow  the  beaten  path.     But  their  attitude  will  not  long 

nor  seriously  retard  the  progress  of  the  new  agriculture. 

The  same  general  principles  winch  are  revolutionizing 

agriculture,  when  applied  to  the  education  of  our  boys  and 

girls,    cannot    fail    to    be    followed   by    equally   marvelous 

results.     Indeed,    the    "  wizard "    of    plant    breeders    has 

recently  published  a  monograph  in  which  he  advocates  the 

application  to  the  breeding  and  rearing  of  children  of  the 

same   principles   by   which  he  has  wrought  miracles  with 

plants.      While    his    views    in    details    may    be    far    from 

practical  at   present,   his  general   thought   is    undoubtedly 

right. 

What  are  We  to  Understand 

by  Individual  Work? 
Let  us  make  sure  that  we  all  have  essentially  the  same 
conception  when  we  speak  of  individuality,  of  the  devel- 
opment of  our  pupils  as  individuals,  of  individual  in  dis- 


i6  WHAT   ARE   YOU    DOING? 

tinction  from  class  or  mass  work.  The  term  has  so  many 
meanings  and  is  used  in  so  many  ways  even  in  educational 
circles,  that  it  is  quite  possible  for  two  of  us  to  entertain 
conceptions  entirely  permissible,  out  of  which  we  could 
develop  practices  diametrically  opposed  in  their  spirit  and 
effects.  The  teacher  whose  work  is  dominated  by  the  effort 
to  keep  her  pupils  all  together  usually  does  considerable 
individual  work  with  her  slower  pupils  in  this  sense,  that 
she  works  with  them,  or  rather  for  them,  one  by  one, 
loading  them  with  knowledge  which  they  can  scarcely  bear, 
much  less  use,  urging,  coaxing,  threatening,  pushing  and 
pulling  them  forward,  that  they  may  appear  to  keep  within 
the  ranks.  But  such  individual  work  is  diametrically 
opposed  to  the  kind  of  individual  work  for  which  I  am 
pleading ;  it  is  an  incident  of  mass  work  and  belongs  in  that 
category. 

The  individual  work  which  I  am  advocating  is 
characterized  especially  by  the  fact  that  each  individual 
pupil  is  working  himself,  actively,  independently,  intel- 
ligently, according  to  his  ability,  with  a  full  sense  of 
responsibility,  —  the  consciousness  that  he,  and  he  alone, 
must  do  the  work  before  him;  that  he,  and  he  alone,  will 
get  the  credit  and  all  the  benefits  arising  from  the  work  he 
does;  that  he,  and  he  alone,  will  suffer  the  consequences  of 
any  failure,  or  weakness  on  his  part. 

I  Hi:  Teacher's  Function. 

The  teacher's  Enaction  in  this  plan  is,  first,  so  to  order 
the  conditions  in  her  room  that  every  pupil  can  work  in  this 
w;iv:  secondly,  to  aid  each  pupil,  both  through  individual 
conference  and  class  exercises,  to  the  end  that  his  work  may 


WHY  ARE  YOU  DOING  IT?  17 

be  most  effective.  The  aid  which  the  teacher  should  give 
will  exercise  her  highest  professional  skill,  will  demand  her 
keenest  insight.  This  aid  must  not  consist  merely  in 
helping  the  pupil  to  do  a  problem,  or  to  learn  a  lesson. 
Such  aid  is  weakening ;  it  fosters  the  habit  and  the  feeling 
of  dependence.  The  teacher's  aid  must  be  real  aid,  aid 
which  enables  the  pupil  to  solve  his  problem  and  learn  his 
lesson  himself,  aid  that  consciously  strengthens  the  pupil, 
that  both  makes  him  stronger  and  makes  him  feel  stronger. 

Responsibility,  an  End  and 
a  Means  of  Education. 

Responsibility,  the  willingness  and  the  power  to  assume 
responsibilities  wisely  and  to  bear  them  courageously,  is  one 
of  the  most  valuable  results,  —  is  really  the  highest  end,  of 
sound  training ;  responsibility,  the  assuming  and  the  bearing 
of  responsibilities  progressively  and  patiently,  necessarily 
or  voluntarily,  is  the  only  means  to  that  end.  To  adjust 
responsibilities  wisely,  discriminatingly,  is  one  of  the  most 
difficult  things  we  teachers  have  to  do.  Is  this  the  reason 
for  our  tendency  to  eliminate  real  responsibility  almost 
completely  from  the  life  of  the  pupil? 

Compulsion  Not  Necessary. 

Observe.  I  have  just  said  that  the  teacher's  function 
is,  first  to  make  the  conditions  such  that  her  pupils  can 
work  individually.  I  purposely  stopped  short  of  adding 
that  she  must  then  compel,  or  require,  them  to  work  in  this 
way.  For  I  am  confident,  both  from  my  knowledge  of 
human  nature  and  of  child  nature,  and  from  observations 
where  the  conditions  have  been  made  as  described,  that  no 


i8  WHY  DO  YOU  DO  IT  LIKE  THAT? 

such  compulsion  will  be  necessary.  Boldly  remove  both 
your  artificial  restraints  and  your  artificial  supports,  which 
now  prevent  your  pupils'  going  either  forward  or  backward, 
to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  as  intelligent,  individually  respon- 
sible human  beings,  and  you  will  be  surprised  and  rejoiced  at 
your  pupils'  response,  —  a  manifestation  of  energy,  of  active 
interest  and  enthusiasm  such  as  you  have  not  previously 
witnessed  in  your  school-room. 

What  Are  We  Really  Trying  to  Do? 

What,  indeed,  are  we  really  trying  to  do  in  our 
schools  ?  What  product  of  our  efforts  do  we  desire  ?  How 
do  we  measure  the  degree  of  our  success?  Why,  what 
simple  questions !  We  are  trying  to  instruct,  to  educate  our 
boys  and  girls,  of  course.  These  boys  and  girls,  trained, 
educated,  are  the  products  we  seek.  The  extent  of  their 
education  measures  the  degree  of  our  success. 

But  are  we  really  trying  to  do  that?  Are  we  really 
seeking  that  product?  Or  do  we  only  think,  when  we 
think  anything  about  it,  that  such  is  the  inspiration  and 
purpose  of  our  efforts?  Let  us  recall  what  we  agreed  at  the 
outset,  viz.,  that  there  are  two  answers  to  the  kinds  of 
questions  we  are  asking  ourselves  today,  our  conscious 
answer  in  winds,  and  the  answer  to  be  read  from  our  acts ; 
and  that  these  two  answers  are  not  necessarily  in  accord.  I 
repeat  my  questions.  What  are  we  trying  to  do?  What 
product  do  we  seek  ?     How  do  we  measure  our  success  ? 

How  arc  we  answering  these  questions  by  our  acts? 
Let  us  forget  for  a  moment  the  answer  we  have  just  given 
in  words,  forget  what  we  are  supposed  to  be  doing,  what  we 
know   we  ought  to  be  doing.     Let  us  reflect  and  examine 


WHAT  ARE  YOU  DOING?  19 

unsparingly  the  actual  ends,  motives  and  criteria  of  our 
daily  work.  What  we  demand  of  ourselves  now  is,  not  a 
defense,  but  the  truth.  I  believe  you  cannot  radically 
disagree  with  me  when  I  say  that  we  are  seeking,  not  all  of 
us,  I  trust  not  any  of  us  exclusively,  but  characteristically, 
we  are  seeking  these  things  and  things  of  this  order.  We 
want  every  one  of  our  pupils  to  "cover  the  work  of  the 
grade "  during  the  year ;  we  want  as  clear  a  record  of 
attendance  as  possible ;  we  want  all  the  written  work  of  our 
pupils  to  present  a  neat  appearance  ;  we  want  uniformity  in 
headings,  in  margins,  in  spacings ;  we  want  quiet,  and  order, 
and  good  positions  in  our  class  rooms ;  we  want  to  "  hold 
the  attention "  of  every  pupil ;  we  want  straight  lines  and 
orderliness  in  passing  through  the  halls ;  we  want  to  avoid 
friction  with  pupils  and  parents ;  we  want  to  avoid  the 
criticism  .  of  master,  supervisor,  superintendent,  and  others ; 
we  want  everything  and  every  activity  in  our  school  rooms 
and  in  our  buildings  to  present  a  "good  appearance." 
These  are  the  things  that  we  are  really  working  for,  and 
working  very  hard  for ;  these  are  the  things  that  worry  us, 
when  they  go  wrong ;  these  are  the  things  that  delight  us, 
when  they  go  right. 

We  Are  Sacrificing  the  Kernel 
to  the  Production  of  Husks. 
And  these  things  are  all  good.  But  they  are  good 
merely  as  incidents  or  means  in  the  production  of  something 
as  superior  to  them  all  as  the  kernel  is  superior  to  the  husk ; 
they  are  good  as  means  to  the  development  of  boys  and  girls 
to  be  alert,  intelligent,  self-reliant,  self-controlled  and  self- 
directed,  resourceful,  neat,  orderly,  and  respectful.     We  are 


20  WHY  ARE  YOU  DOING  IT? 

making  these  miserable  husks  the  end  of  our  endeavor;  we 
are  sacrificing  the  precious  kernel  to  their  production. 

Our  Enormous  Waste  of  Time  and  Effort. 

Let  us  direct  our  attention  now  to  a  slightly  different, 
but  closely  related  aspect  of  our  work.  We  hear  no  more 
common  complaint  and  lament  than  this  :  We  haven't  time ; 
we  haven't  time.  That  cry  is  almost  universal.  And  yet, 
we  can  scarcely  go  into  a  school  in  this  city,  —  or  in  any 
other  city,  for  that  matter,  if  this  thought  makes  the  truth 
any  less  unpalateable,  —  in  which  we  do  not  find  time, 
much  time,  misused,  squandered,  wasted,  frittered  away, 
with  as  little  concern,  apparently,  as  though  there  were  an 
eternity  at  disposal. 

Impossible !  Why,  we  are  as  busy  as  we  can  be ;  we 
are  fairly  rushed  from  morning  till  night. 

I  believe  it.  I  have  seen  it ;  and  I  have  seen  it  often 
with  pain  and  misgiving.  But  this  observation  is  not  to  the 
point.  Busyness  and  rush  are  in  no  way  incompatible  with 
waste  of  time  and  effort.  In  fact,  there  is  not  infrequently 
more  than  a  chance  connection  between  these  phenomena. 

We  Teachers  are  an  Unpractical  Class. 
We  teachers  are  not  much  given  to  applying  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  business,  of  the  shop  and  the  factory,  if 
you  please,  to  our  work.  An  involuntary  shudder  goes  over 
us  at  the  mere  coupling  of  the  names  of  such  gross,  material, 
mercenary  pursuits  as  make  up  business  and  factory  life,  with 
our  high,  ideal,  spiritual  calling.  We  are  looked  upon  as  an 
unpractical  class.  That  estimate  of  us  is  undoubtedly  justi- 
fied.    If  it  were  true  only  of  our  relations  to  the  so-called 


WHY  DO  YOU  DO  IT  LIKE  THAT?  21 

practical  affairs  of  life,  we  might  well  bear  the  stricture  with 
equanimity,  perhaps  some  of  us  with  pride,  even.  But,  most 
unfortunately,  the  criticism  of  unpracticality  in  respect  to 
the  affairs  in  which  we  are  supposed  to  be  experts,  might  be 
made  with  altogether  too  much  truth.  Outside  critics  have 
not  yet  generally  discovered  this  weakness,  although  there 
is  wide-spread  conviction  that  our  schools,  for  some  reason, 
are  not  as  efficient  as  they  ought  to  be,  or  as  they  might  be. 
It  behooves  us  to  discover  and  realize  our  own  shortcomings, 
and  to  remedy  them. 

I  have  said  that  we  waste  time  grossly;  that  we  are 
characterized  by  unpracticality,  even  in  the  schoolroom. 
The  fact,  of  course,  follows  naturally  from  the  characteristic 
the  characteristic  is  manifest  in  the  fact.  But  I  must  not 
drop  the  matter  with  these  bare  statements ;  I  must  be  more 
specific,  or  I  shall  appear  to  exemplify  best  of  all  the  very 
fact  and  characteristic  I  am  thinking  to  point  out. 
This  is  a  Mutual  Investigation. 

Let  us  examine  again  together,  quite  dispassionately, 
what  we  are  actually  doing  every  day  in  our  schools,  the 
purpose  for  which  it  is  done,  and  the  efficiency  of  the 
process.  This  is  a  mutual  investigation.  It  is  not  sufficient 
that  one  of  us  make  observations  and  reach  certain  conclu- 
sions, and  utter  those  conclusions,  however  well  justified, 
with  apparent  dogmatism.  We  must  investigate  together; 
we  must  see  the  same  things ;  then,  I  believe,  we  shall  reach 
the  same  conclusions,  each  one  self-convinced.  Obviously, 
we  cannot  visit  our  own  schools  now,  but  we  can  call  read- 
ily and  vividly  to  mind  an  abundance  of  exercises  and 
scenes  with  which  we  are  only  too  familiar. 


22  WHAT  ARE  YOU  DOING? 

One  General  Observation  Regarding 
Our  Unpracticality. 
But,  first  allow  me  this  general  observation,  which,  if  it 
has  any  value,  is  quite  apropos.  I  can  recall  in  all  my  expe- 
rience very  few  teachers  or  masters  who  occasionally,  still 
fewer  who  constantly  and  systematically,  applied  any  serious 
test  of  efficiency  to  their  plans  or  methods  of  work,  or  who 
even  attempted  to  apply  any  such  test.  In  my  experience, 
schoolroom  methods  and  processes  are  rarely  judged  from  the 
standpoint  of  simple  efficiency.  This  question  is  seldom 
asked :  Is  this  method  or  process  the  most  effective  way  of 
producing  the  result  I  desire  ?  Too  often,  I  fear,  the  ques- 
tion could  not  be  asked,  much  less  answered,  for  we  have  not 
determined  in  our  own  minds  what  result  we  do  desire. 

The  Sole  Justification  of  Any  Method. 
We  justify  our  methods  on  all  sorts  of  grounds, 
"  pedagogical "  grounds,  we  like  to  call  them,  except  the 
one  and,  broadly  understood,  the  sole  ground  on  which  any 
method  can  be  justified,  the  ground  of  efficiency.  These 
are  the  most  favored,  the  determining  characteristics  of  an 
approved  method  or  exercise.  It  must  interest  the  children ; 
it  must  hold  their  attention ;  it  must  keep  them  busy  and 
reasonably  quiet;  if  it  keeps  them  busy  and  quiet  along 
time  at  a  stretch,  so  much  the  better ;  it  must  be  easy  of 
preparation  and  oversight ;  it  must  be  capable  of  quick 
assignment  and  of  repeated  use.  Of  course,  as  a  rule,  it  is 
expected  eventually  to  lead  somewhere.  But  there  is  little 
concern  about  the  time  it  will  take  the  pupil  to  arrive  by 
that  route.       It  is  so   much   better,  you  know,  not  to  hurry 


WHY  ARE  YOU  DOING  IT?  23 

the  children;  they  are  so  young  and  immature  !  As  though 
anyone,  old  or  young,  mature  or  immature,  had  to  hurry 
more  in  going  directly  to  his  destination  than  in  going  by 
roundabout  and  devious  ways ! 

But  I  am  making  onl)r  a  general  observation  that  my 
individual  experience  thus  far  seems  to  justify.  Your  obser- 
vations along  this  line  are  very  likely  different.  I  gladly 
refrain  from  pressing  my  individual  opinion,  which  further 
experience  may  force  me  to  modify,  concerning  so  large  a 
subject ;  for  I  would  not  be  classed  with  those  "  nature- 
faking  "  controversialists  who  declare  that  a  thing  never  has 
happened,  never  could  have  happened,  and  never  can 
happen,  —  chiefly  because  they  have  not  witnessed  it. 

Let  us  to  our  investigation  of  facts  about  whose  exis- 
tence we  all  agree,  —  facts  which,  I  believe,  will  reveal  to  us 
all  a  well-nigh  inconceivable  disregard  of  the  value  of  time 
and  effort.  I  shall  make  no  attempt  at  exhaustiveness  in 
the  facts  which  I  bring  before  us  for  examination.  I  shall 
choose  rather  a  few  quite  prevalent  practices,  each  typical  of 
many  which  observation  and  reflection  should  enable  every 
one  of  us  to  supply. 

The  Sacred  Spelling  Device. 

We  will  turn  our  attention,  first,  to  that  sacred  device 
for  learning  the  spelling  lesson,  viz  :  copying  each  word  ten 
times.  If  we  are  in  good  humor,  perhaps  the  words  need 
be  copied  only  five  times  each;  but  if  things  in  general 
have  been  going  badly,  particularly  if  there  were  many 
mis-spelled  words  in  yesterday's  exercise,  or  if  little  seat- 
work  has  been  planned  for  to-day,  each  word  must  be 
copied    twenty  times,  perhaps    twenty-five    or     even    fifty 


24  WHY  DO  YOU  DO  IT  LIKE  THAT? 

times.  And  the  luckless  youngster  who  then  misses  a 
word  is  to  be  congratulated  if  he  escapes  with  a  hundred 
copies. 

Pray,  observe  that  this  exercise  possesses  most  of  the 
approved  characteristics  already  noted,  many  of  them  in 
their  most  perfect  form.  It  compels  some  degree  of  atten- 
tion mi  the  part  of  the  pupils;  it  keeps  them  busy  and 
fairly  quiet ;  nothing  could  be  easier  of  preparation  and 
oversight ;  it  is  capable  of  instant  assignment  and  of  infin- 
ite repetition:  but,  best  of  all,  it  is  adjustable!  We  can 
as  readily  say  copy  fifty  or  a  hundred  times  as  we  can  say 
five  or  ten  times. 

But  what  of  the  efficiency  of  this  method?  Need  I 
say  another  word  ?  Yes,  I  will ;  for  I  would  finally  exter- 
minate  it,  with  all  that  it  signifies.  And  it  dies  so  hard. 
This  is  by  no  means  the  first  occasion,  as  most  of  you 
must  well  know,  on  which  I  have  thought  to  give  this 
abominable  thing  its  quietus.  This  is  one  thing,  and  I 
believe  the  only  tiling,  which  our  course  of  study  tells  us 
we  must  never  do.  And  yet,  it  seems  as  though  I  ran 
across  it  somewhere  almost  every  day. 

The  Real  Objection  to  Our  Sacred 
Spelling  Specific. 
But  what  is  really  the  objection  to  this  method, 
administered  in  moderate  doses,  of  course,  many  of  us 
must  be  asking  ourselves.  Is  it  not  a  well  established 
psychological  fact  or  principle  that  writing  a  thing  helps 
to  fix  thai  thing  in  the  memory,  particularly  in  the  mus- 
cular memory?  And  is  not  this  just  what  we  desire  in 
spelling,  to  !ix   the  word  in  the  muscular  memory,  so  that 


WHAT  ARE  YOU  DOING?  25 

the  hand  can  write  it  correctly  with  a  minimum  of  direc- 
tion from  the  higher  centers  of  thought  ?  Yes ;  and  we 
might  remark,  parenthetically,  that  it  is  also  a  well  estab- 
lished fact  that  a  little  psychology  is  a  dangerous  thing. 

Writing  a  word  may  be  an  efficient  means  of  fixing  the 
letters  in  their  order;  as  a  means  to  this  end  two  writings 
are  more  effective  than  one.  But  the  moment  a  teacher 
directs  a  pupil  to  write  a  word  five  times,  or  ten  times,  or 
any  other  number  of  times,  that  moment  she  makes  the  writ- 
ing of  the  word,  and  the  writing  of  it  a  certain  number  of 
times,  and  not  the  learning  of  the  word,  the  end  of  the 
pupil's  effort.  And  the  pupil  invariably  so  regards  it.  I 
can  predict  with  almost  absolute  certainty  the  answers,  even 
the  wording  of  the  answers,  which  I  shall  receive  to  two 
questions  addressed  to  a  pupil  engaged  in  this  senseless  exer- 
cise, so  many  times  have  I  put  these  questions  and  received 
these  answers.  I  ask,  "  What  are  you  doing,  my  child  ?  " 
"  Copying  my  spelling  words  ten  times."  "  What  are  you 
doing  that  for?"     "  'Cause  teacher  told  us  to." 

Here  is  a  case  in  which  I  am  convinced  the  child  is 
doing  exactly  what  he  thinks  he  is  doing,  nothing  more 
and  nothing  less.  Children  are  not  nearly  as  prone  to 
deceive  themselves  in  this  matter  as  are  we  older  folks.  But 
if  any  of  us  would  like  even  more  indisputable  evidence 
that  making  the  required  number  of  copies  of  each  word  is 
the  sole  end  which  the  child  is  trying  to  achieve,  we  can 
probably  find  such  evidence  without  much  difficulty.  I 
occasionally  run  across  variations  of  the  stupid  monotony 
such  as  this.  A  child  copying  three-syllable  words  copies 
the  first  syllable  of  a  word   the  required  number  of  times, 


26  WHY  ARE  YOU  DOING  IT? 

then  the  last  syllable  an  equal  number  of  times,  and  finally 
rills  in  the  middle  syllable !  Or  he  may  copy  the  first  sylla- 
ble of  all  the  words  once,  then  add  the  second  syllable  of 
each,  and  so  on.  Or,  again,  he  may  copy  the  first  syllable 
of  all  the  words  in  order,  each  the  required  number  of  times, 
then  the  second,  and  finally  the  last.  Oh,  there  are  many 
little  opportunities  here  for  the  exercise  of  originality !  I 
drop  these  hints  for  what  they  are  worth.  Such  variations 
of  the  copying  process,  more  generally  adopted,  would  tend 
to  add  to  this  exercise  the  one  approved  characteristic  which 
is  usually  lacking,  that  is,  the  element  of  interest. 

We  can  but  be  impressed  with  the  absurdity,  the  enor- 
mity, of  the  exercise  in  which  the  words  are  so  broken  up  in 
the  copying,  considered  as  a  means  to  the  learning  of  the 
correct  spelling.  But  I  have  not  the  slighest  doubt  that 
such  copying  is  almost,  if  not  just  as  effective  as  the  straight 
copying  of  each  word.  And  it  has  this  advantage  ;  it  gives 
tin-  poor  child  an  opportunity  to  exercise  a  little  thought,  to 
initiate  a  little  originality  on  his  own  account. 

How  May  the  Spelling  Lesson  be 
Attacked  Effectively? 

How  shall  we,  then,  attack  the  spelling  lesson  effectively? 
We  must  train  each  pupil,  —  the  learning  of  a  spelling 
lesson  is  a  purely  individual  matter,  —  we  must  train  each 
pupil  to  determine  for  himself  just  what  difficulties  the  lesson 
presents  to  him  ;  he  will  usually  find  that  some  of  the  words 
present  no  difficulty,  that  most  of  them  contain  not  more  than 
one  or  two  difficult  spots.  The  difficulties  determined,  the 
pupil  must  then  apply  himself  intelligently  to  their  mastery; 
that  is,  he   must  employ  those  means  which  he   finds  to  be 


WHY  DO  YOU  DO  IT  LIKE  THAT?  27 

most  effective  for  him.  Copying  a  difficult  syllable,  as  a 
means  to  its  mastery,  is  one  quite  effective  way  for  many 
people,  not  for  all.  For  one  who  finds  copying  to  be  the 
most  effective  means  of  learning,  copying  is  the  very  thing 
to  do;  never,  however,  should  one  copy  five,  or  ten,  or 
any  other  magic  number  of  times,  but  in  each  instance  just 
as  many  times  as  are  necessary  to  effect  the  desired 
result. 

Some  of  us  may  recall  that  a  dozen  years  ago  Dr.  J.  M. 
Rice,  of  New  York,  made  quite  a  sensation  both  within  and 
without  educational  circles  by  his  elaborate  investigations  of 
the  subject  of  spelling  as  taught  in  the  public  schools  of 
several  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  country.  One  of  Dr. 
Rice's  conclusions,  apparently  absurd,  but  based,  he  declared, 
strictly  upon  facts  and  statistics  as  he  gathered  them,  was 
this,  —  that  it  makes  no  difference  whether  fifteen  minutes  or 
forty-five  minutes  per  day  be  devoted  to  the  study  of  spell- 
ing; the  additional  time  does  not  appreciably  improve  the 
result.  And  Dr.  Rice,  I  remember,  very  aptly  entitled  one 
of  his  articles  on  the  subject,  published,  I  believe,  in  The 
Forum,  "  The  Futility  of  the  Spelling  Grind." 

In  the  light  of  all  that  we  have  said  and  of  all  that  we 
know  about  the  conventional  ways  of  teaching  spelling,  are 
we  not  prepared  to  accept  Dr.  Rice's  apparently  absurd  con- 
clusion as  possibly,  nay,  as  only  too  probably  correct  ?  How, 
indeed,  could  it  be  otherwise?  Whether  it  be  spelling  or 
any  other  thing,  what  difference  does  it  make,  what  differ- 
ence can  it  make,  whether  we  spend  much  or  little  time, 
provided  we  spend  that  time  in  doing,  not  the  thing  in  hand, 
but  in  doing  something  else  ? 


28  WHAT  ARE  YOU  DOING? 

Our  Work  in  Spelling  Typical. 

I  have  spent  so  much  time  with  you  on  the  subject  of 
spelling,  not  because  of  its  superior  importance,  but  almost 
wholly  because  the  handling  of  this  subject  is  typical  of  so 
much.  Can  we  not,  every  one  from  the  kindergarten  to  the 
high  school,  think  of  a  score  of  things  which  are  being 
treated  habitually  in  just  such  inappropriate,  ineffective 
ways  ? 

Our  Expensive  Manufacturing  Enterprises. 

Let  us  turn  our  attention  now,  but  more  briefly,  to 
other  prevalent  ways  in  which  we  are  inexcusably  wasting 
precious  time  and  effort.  Take  the  matter  of  copying  by 
the  pupils,  I  mean  copying  from  the  blackboard  and  from 
dictation  elaborate  topical  outlines,  analyses,  problems,  notes 
and  directions  of  various  kinds,  of  which  the  sole  result, 
often  the  sole  purpose,  is  this,  —  a  copy  of  the  thing  in  ques- 
tion, in  the  hands  of  each  pupil. 

This  is  not  an  educational,  a  "  pedagogical "  exercise, 
and  cannot  be  justified  on  that  ground.  On  the  contrary, 
we  must  admit  that  this  kind  of  copying,  because  of  the  con- 
ditions under  which  it  is  usually  done,  tends  to  foster  habits 
of  carelessness,  of  inaccuracy,  of  slovenliness,  even  of  daw- 
dling and  sloth.  At  best,  its  effect  on  the  pupil  is  rarely 
other  than  negative.  Taking  the  most  favorable  view  of 
it,  then,  we  can  consider  it  only  from  the  standpoint  of  a 
manufacturer. 

Let  Us  Calculate  the  Cost  of  Production. 
How  many  of  us  have  ever  thought  to  calculate  the  cost 
of  production  when  we  engage  our  pupils  in  these  manufac- 


WHY  ARE  YOU  DOING  IT?  29 

turing  exercises  ?  Let  us  do  it,  for  once  ;  it  may  surprise 
those  of  us  who  chance  to  be  endowed  with  some  measure 
of  business  instinct. 

The  time  of  a  pupil  in  the  higher  grammar  grades  and 
in  the  high  school,  —  the  places  where  much,  probably  most 
of  this  factory  work  is  carried  on, —  is  worth  about  fifteen 
cents  an  hour  at  such  relatively  unskilled  labor,  or  service, 
as  most  of  the  pupils  could  perform.  On  this  basis,  then, 
the  time  of  a  class  of  forty  pupils  is  worth  $6  per  hour,  an 
amount  from  six  to  ten  times  as  large  as  most  of  us  teachers 
receive  who  control  the  time  of  these  pupils. 

Suppose  we  put  such  a  class  of  pupils  to  copying  for 
fifteen  minutes  from  the  blackboard,  —  not  an  unusually  long 
time,  according  to  my  observations.  As  the  product  of 
these  fifteen  minutes'  work,  we  have  to  show  forty  copies,  of 
perhaps  two  pages  each,  of  more  or  less  accurate,  more  or 
less  legible,  more  or  less  presentable,  written  matter.  The 
cost  of  these  copies,  not  reckoning  the  teacher's  time,  has 
been  11.50;  as  a  single  item,  trifling,  of  course.  But  we 
could  have  secured  an  equal  number  of  hektograph  copies, 
all  alike,  eve^one  easily  legible,  accurate  and  presentable, 
for  fifteen  cents.  If  we  were  to  have  use  for  a  considerable 
number  of  copies  of  the  same  thing,  to  be  given  to  several 
classes  or  divisions,  or  to  be  used  through  several  years, 
they  could  be  produced  for  five  cents,  even  two  cents,  the 
forty  copies.  I  think  we  cannot  fail  to  see  that  any 
unsubsidized  manufacturing  enterprise  conducted  on  this 
basis  must  inevitably  fail  before  it  could  be  even  started. 

But,  here  again,  I  am  not  holding  up  to  view  these 
little  thoughtless  ventures  of  ours  into  the  manufacturer's 


3o  WHY  DO  YOU  DO  IT  LIKE  THAT? 

realm  chiefly  because  of  their  intrinsic  importance,  although 
undoubtedly  they  are  all  together  costing  the  city  some 
hundreds,  quite  possibly  thousands  of  dollars  a  year.  But 
this  is  my  purpose ;  we  must  see  that  this  kind  of  work  is 
typical  of  much  more,  and  we  must  realize  what  that 
means. 

The  Value  of  a  Child's  Time  as  a  Pupil. 

We  have  estimated  in  the  very  lowest  terms,  that  of 
unskilled  labor,  the  value  of  a  pupil's  time.  A  pupil's  time 
as  a  student  must  be  reckoned  on  a  different  basis.  Just 
how  much  it  is  worth  in  dollars  and  cents  we  cannot  say. 
Rough  estimates  which  have  been  made  would  indicate,  and 
I  think  we  all  have  confidence  in  the  enhancement  of  a 
person's  productive  power  through  education  to  believe,  that 
the  value  of  a  child's  time,  twelve  to  eighteen  years  of  age, 
if  spent  in  profitable  study,  may  be  estimated  conservatively 
at  three  times  the  figures  we  used.  And  all  of  us  recognize 
the  many  invaluable  results  of  time  spent  in  study,  — 
results  in  no  way  reducible  to  a  cash  estimate. 

Must  we  not,  then,  think  seriously  on  these  things,  we 
who  control  the  time  and  the  movements  of  so  many  boys 
and  girls,  control  them  absolutely  during  five,  and  partially, 
perhaps,  during  one  or  two  more  hours  each  day?  We 
have  no  right  to  direct  the  precious  time  and  efforts  of  those 
boys  and  girls  except  in  the  doing  of  things  worth  while, 
the  things  best  worth  while,  and  in  the  doing  of  those 
things  iii  the  most  effective  way. 

A  "  Well-Timed  "  but  Valueless  Exercise. 

Let  us  recall  now  and  consider  very  briefly  several  other 


WHAT  ARE  YOU  DOING?  31 

typical  and  prevalent  means  of  wasting  time  and  effort. 
Think  of  those  exercises  —  so  many  of  them  —  tame,  passive, 
monotonous,  tedious  exercises,  in  which  we  accomplish  noth- 
ing,—  because  we  attempt  nothing.  Our  program  calls  for 
an  exercise, —  probably  most  of  us  in  the  grammar  grades  are 
thinking  of  reading,—  we  start  that  exercise  on  time  and  we 
close  it  on  time ;  we  start  it  at  the  page  and  paragraph  where 
we  chanced  to  leave  it  at  the  last  exercise,  and  we  close  it 
wherever  we  happen  to  be  when  the  time  has  expired ;  it  is 
usually  a  "  well-timed  "  exercise,  and  that  is  the  best  that  can 
be  said  of  it. 

Of  course,  put  on  the  defensive,  we  can  maintain  and 
possibly  convince  —  ourselves,  that  we  were  seeking  "  better 
expression"  as  the  result  of  the  exercise.  But  the  facts  are 
that  the  pupils'  reading  was  no  better  than  it  had  been  before, 
even  that  no  single  pupil  read  as  expressively  as  he  could, 
that  no  single  pupil  made  any  serious  effort  to  read  his  best, 
and,  finally,  that  we,  as  teacher,  did  little  or  nothing  to  make 
any  pupil  read  as  well  as  he  was  already  able  to  read, 
much  less  to  enable  him  to  read  better  than  he  ever  could 
before.  In  the  light  of  these  facts,  we  cannot  reasonably 
hope  that  there  may  have  been  any  positive  result  of  the 
exercise  in  the  shape  of  power  or  habit  of  better  oral  reading. 
On  the  contrary,  if  we  are  frank,  we  must  admit  that  the 
exercise  was  really  injurious,  that  it  contributed  a  little  to 
that  progressive  deterioration  in  oral  reading  which  is  unmis- 
takeable  as  we  advance  beyond  the  primary  grades,  reaching 
its  climax  —  or  ought  we  to  say  anti-climax  ?  —  in  the  high 
school. 

But  perhaps  we  were  paying  no  particular  attention  to 


32  WHY  ARE  YOU   DOING  IT? 

expression  in  this  exercise  ;  possibly  we  were  having  the 
children  read  simply  "to  get  the  thought," — as  though, 
indeed,  they  should  ever  read  without  getting  the  thought ! 
But  did  the  children  get  the  thought?  There  was  certainly 
little  to  indicate  to  the  careful  listener  and  observer  that  they 
did  "get"  much  thought;  and  there  was  much  evidence  that 
they  were  not  thinking,  that  what  they  were  supposed  to  be 
reading  was  not  arousing  and  directing  their  thoughts.  And 
we  as  teacher  —  what  were  we  teaching  ?  —  did  nothing  but 
call  out,  "that  will  do,"  and  "next!  " 

We  must  confess  that  such  exercises  not  simply  waste 
time,  they  kill  it. 

Abortive  Eeforts. 

Then  there  are  those  exercises  in  which  we  attempt 
something  definite  and  important,  perhaps  work  very  hard, 
even  very  effectively  as  far  as  we  go,  but  still  accomplish 
nothing ;  and  all  because  we  didn't  quite  reach  the  point,  or, 
having  reached  it,  did  not  fix  it,  before  the  exercise  closed. 
Unfortunately,  these  abortive  efforts  do  usually  accomplish 
one  thing  ;  they  dull  the  pupil's  interest,  and  so  make  more 
difficult  the  next  attempt. 

The  Waste  of  the  Unemployed. 

We  will  here  refer  to  only  one  more  typical  waste  of 
time  —  would  that  this  really  completed  the  list !  —  the  waste 
which  occurs  through  the  inactivity,  or  the  misdirected, 
ineffective  activity  of  a  portion  of  our  pupils.  This  waste  is 
enormous.  Winn  we  are  teaching  classes  instead  of  indi- 
viduals, how  much  of  the  time  is  thus  wasted  for  most  of  our 
pupils?  How  many  of  our  pupils  thus  waste  most  of  their 
time? 


why  do  you  do  it  like  that?  33 

We  Must  Learn  to  Apply 
Sound  Business  Principles. 
However  firmly  we  may  believe,  or  affect  to  believe, 
that  our  professional  work  is  removed  and  should  be  removed 
far  above  and  away  from  ordinary  business  motives  and  con- 
sideration, we  must  learn  to  apply  in  our  work  many  of  those 
principles  of  business  which  are  the  very  foundation  of  busi- 
ness success.  Rightly  applied,  those  same  principles  will 
contribute  as  much  to  educational  as  to  material  progress. 
We  may  profitably  learn  from  business  life,  above  all  things, 
the  fundamental  principles  of  efficiency.  We  may  learn  to 
determine  always,  in  the  least  things  as  well  as  in  the  greatest, 
just  what  we  wish  to  accomplish ;  we  may  learn  to  apply 
those  means  which  seem  to  be  best  adapted  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  our  end ;  we  may  learn,  further,  to  test  rigidly  and 
frequently  the  actual  efficiency  of  the  means  we  are  employ- 
ing ;  we  may  learn  to  "  stop  the  leaks  "  which  are  constantly 

occurring. 

What  of  Ourselves? 

Thus  far  we  have  been  considering  our  work,  as  we 
ought  nearly  always  to  do,  from  the  standpoint  of  the  pupil, 
observing  its  effect  upon  him.  Very  briefly,  we  will  now 
turn  our  attention  to  ourselves. 

If  our  work  as  teachers  is  to  be  most  effective,  essen- 
tially the  same  conditions  must  prevail  for  us  that  we  demand 
for  our  pupils.  I  cannot  do  the  work  of  any  one  of  you,  nor 
can  I  do  it  for  you ;  no  one  of  you  can  do  my  work,  nor  can 
you  do  it  for  me.  We  can  help  each  other.  No  two  of  us 
can  work  effectively  in  just  the  same  way ;  we  ought  not  to 
attempt  it. 


34  WHAT  ARE  YOU  DOING? 

What  Each  One  of  Us  Ought  to  be  Doing. 

The  kind  of  work  we  ought  to  be  doing,  the  kind  of 
work  I  ought  to  be  doing,  the  kind  of  work  each  one  of  you 
ought  to  be  doing,  I  can  characterize  in  no  better  way  than 
by  quoting  the  exact  words  I  have  already  used  regarding 
each  pupil's  work.  Each  one  of  us  should  be  "  working  him- 
self, actively,  independently,  intelligently,  according  to  his 
ability,  with  a  full  sense  of  responsibility, —  the  conscious- 
ness that  he,  and  he  alone,  must  do  the  work  before  him  ; 
that  he,  and  he  alone,  will  get  the  credit  and  all  the  benefits 
arising  from  the  work  he  does ;  that  he,  and  he  alone,  will 
suffer  the  consequences  of  any  failure,  or  weakness  on  his 

part." 

Are  Conditions  Favorable? 

Are  the  conditions  under  which  you  are  working  such 
that  you  can  work  in  this  way  ?  If  not,  it  is  your  first  and 
most  important  duty  to  make  that  fact  known,  in  case  the 
remedy  is  beyond  your  own  control.  I  invite  and  shall  wel- 
come any  honest  suggestions  on  this  subject.  It  is  not  wholly 
impossible  that  we  must  change  our  point  of  view  and  recon- 
struct our  relations  to  each  other,  as  radically  as  we  must 
change  our  point  of  view  and  reconstruct  our  relations  to  our 
pupils. 

The  Relation  of  the  Supervisory  Force 
to  the  Teachers. 

Of  one  thing  I  am  sure,  respecting  the  relation  of  super- 
intendent, supervisors,  and  masters  to  the  teachers.  Defining 
that  relation,  again  I  can  quote  almost  verbatim,  and  say 
what  I  have  said  concerning  the  proper  relation  of  the  teacher 


WHY  ARE  YOU  DOING  IT?  35 

to  each  one  of  her  pupils.  It  is  the  function  of  each  one  of 
us,  masters,  supervisors  and  superintendent,  each  in  his  place, 
"  first,  so  to  order  the  conditions  surrounding  each  teacher 
that  she  can  work  in  the  way  described ;  secondly,  to  aid 
each  teacher,  both  through  individual  conference  and  in 
groups,  to  the  end  that  her  work  may  be  most  effective." 
Continuing  that  quotation,  I  may  say  that  "  the  aid  which 
we  should  give  will  exercise  our  highest  professional  skill, 
will  demand  our  keenest  insight.  This  aid  must  not  consist 
merely  in  helping  the  teacher  to  do  her  particular,  special 
tasks.  Such  aid  is  weakening ;  it  fosters  the  habit  and  the 
feeling  of  dependence.  Our  aid  must  be  real  aid,  aid  which 
enables  the  teacher  to  solve  her  problems  and  do  her  work 
herself, —  aid  that  consciously  strengthens  the  teacher,  that 
both  makes  her  stronger  and  makes  her  feel  stronger." 
A  False  Position. 
I  have  known  many  masters  and  superintendents  who 
took  this  position.  They  said :  "  We  have  a  right  to  assume 
that  our  teachers  are  prepared  for  their  work  when  they  come 
to  us ;  all  that  is  demanded  of  us,  and  the  best  thing  that  we 
can  do,  is  to  give  them  the  opportunity  to  work,  and  then 
let  them  alone.''''  And  I  have  frequently  known  this  attitude 
of  masters  and  superintendents  to  be  strongly  approved  by 
their  teachers.  The  highest  praise  which  the  teachers  can 
accord  them  seems  to  be  this :  "  They  let  us  alone."  And  I 
have  usually  thought  that  these  superintendents  and  masters 
manifested  the  best  wisdom  which  they  possessed  in  letting 
their  teachers  alone ;  and  that  for  doing  this,  their  teachers 
really  accorded  them  the  highest  meed  of  praise  to  which 
they  were  entitled. 


36  WHY  DO  YOU  DO  IT  LIKE  THAT? 

But  I  do  not  hesitate  to  express  to  you  my  deliberate 
opinion  that  any  muster  or  superintendent  who  demonstrates 
the  fact  that  the  greatest  aid  he  can  render  his  teachers  is  to 
lei  them  alone,  also  proves  conclusively  that  he  is  an  extrav- 
agant luxury.  He  is  drawing  professional  pay  for  clerical 
work  and  unskilled  labor. 

Masters,  you  and  I  have  no  right  to  our  positions  because 
we  chanced  to  be  born  men,  nor  even  because  we  were  fortu- 
nate enough  to  secure  our  appointments.  We  must  justify 
our  existence  every  day. 

Conclusion. 
In  conclusion,  I  have  no  apology  to  offer  for  inviting 
you  all  to  make  with  me  this  mercilessly  frank  examination 
of  our  work.  I  might  have  spent  this  hour  in  commending 
the  rare  spirit  that  you  have  always  shown,  the  splendid 
earnestness  of  your  efforts,  and  the  success,  too,  which  your 
efforts  have  achieved  ;  such  commendation  is  richly  merited. 
Or  I  might  have  told  you  that  we  have  here  in  Newton  a 
school  system  second  to  none  in  the  country ;  that  in  some 
lines,  at  least,  the  best  work  to  be  found  anywhere  can  be 
seen  right  in  your  schools.  And  in  telling  you  this,  I  trust 
that  I  should  have  spoken  within  the  limits  of  the  truth. 
But  I  chose  rather  to  pay  you  a  higher  compliment  than  can 
be  expressed  in  any  words  of  commendation  concerning 
what  you  have  been  and  what  you  have  done  in  the  past ; 
and  at  the  same  time  to  bring  before  you  a  program  for  the 
future,  —  herein  lies  the  compliment,  —  of  infinitely  more 
moment  to  the  children  of  this  city,  to  ourselves,  even,  than 
could  possibly  be  any  self-satisfied  contemplation  of  the  fact, 


WHAT  ARE  YOU  DOING?  37 

if  it  be  a  fact,  that  the  Newton  schools  are  as  good  as  the 
best. 

If  there  is  any  satisfaction  to  be  derived  from  this 
thought,  I  can  assure  that  the  Newton  schools  have  already 
been  brought  practically  to  the  limit  of  perfection,  if  we 
measure  them  by  the  standards  which  have  so  largely 
dominated  our  activities  in  the  past.  Working  along  the 
old  lines,  the  utmost  we  can  hope  to  do  is  to  keep  our 
schools  where  they  are  today. 

If,  however,  we  can  adopt  the  program  and  carry  out 
successfully  the  principles  we  have  been  considering,  there 
is  no  near  limit  fixed  to  the  progress  which  must  follow. 
Let  no  one  deceive  himself  with  the  thought  that  I  am 
proposing  that  you  work  any  harder  or  any  longer  than  you 
have  been  working.  I  fear  that  too  many  of  you  are  already 
working  too  hard  and  too  long.  What  we  all  need,  and 
what  I  am  pleading  for,  is  not  that  we  spend  more  time,  but 
more  thought  upon  our  work ;  not  that  we  work  harder  but 
more  wisely. 

It  is  not  as  a  mere  matter  of  policy  that  I  have  tried  to 
talk  with  you,  rather  than  to  you,  or  at  you,  today;  that 
I  have  tried  to  enlist  the  independent  observation  and 
reflection  of  each  one  of  you  on  matters  that  so  vitally 
concern  us  all ;  that  I  have  asked  each  one  to  draw  his  own 
conclusions :  and  that  I  now  ask  each  one  to  make  his  own 
resolutions.  I  have  treated  you  and  the  subject  in  this  way, 
because  the  problem  that  is  before  us  is  our  problem.  I  am 
sure  I  cannot  solve  it  alone ;  I  do  not  believe  that  any  one, 
or  any  dozen,  of  you  can  solve  it  alone.  I  do  believe  that 
we  can  all  solve  it  together. 


39 


SUGGESTIVE   QUESTIONS. 

I.  In  General. 

1.  What  are  the  principal  theses  of  the  paper? 

2.  Are  the  arguments  and  illustrations  used  in 
support  of  these  theses  sound,  fair,  and  to  the  point? 

3.  What  additional  arguments  and  illustrations  in 
support  of  these  theses  can  you  adduce? 

4.  What  arguments  and  illustrations  can  you  bring 
forward  in  opposition  to  these  theses?  Please  be  absolutely 
frank  and  as  honestly  critical  as  possible. 

5.  On  the  whole,  are  you  convinced  or  unconvinced 
that  the  theses  are  sound  and  practical?  If  they  appear  to 
you  wholly  unsound  or  unpractical,  what  are  your  views  on 
the  matters  to  which  they  refer?  If  they  appear  to  you 
only  partially  sound  and  practical,  how  would  you  modify 
them  so  that  they  would  meet  your  full  approval  ? 

II.  The  Purpose  and  Effect  of  General 
School  Organization  and  Management? 
P.  3. 

1.  Is  the  reception  usually  accorded  to  a  proposed 
change  in  organization  or  management  fairly  represented  by 
the  quotations  ? 

2.  Do  these  expressions  represent  the  real  attitude  of 
the  speakers  ? 

3.  Is  there  a  vital  point  at  which  the  children's 
interests  are  really  secondary  to  our  routine  and  machinery  ? 
Bring  together  all  the  evidence  you  can  both  for  and  against 
this  proposition. 


40  SUGGESTIVE   QUESTIONS. 

III.  Rigid    Schemes   of   Grading   and   Promo- 
tion.    P.  5. 

1.  Have  you  ever  personally  observed  any  evil  effects 
of  the  usual  plan  of  yearly  grades  and  annual  promotions  ? 
If  so,  what  ? 

2.  What  are  the  chief  advantages  of  this  plan? 
Speak  strictly  according  to  your  own  observation  and 
experience. 

3.  Do  you  consider  the  plans  and  the  practices 
regarding  grading  and  promoting,  as  they  exist  in  your 
school  today,  better  or  poorer  than  two  years  ago  ?  In  what 
respects  ? 

4.  Wherein  does  the  present  plan  and  practice  differ 
from  the  old  in  respect  to  its  rigidity  ? 

IV.  Keeping  Children  Together.     P.  6. 

1.  What  evidences,  other  than  the  two  "indications" 
mentioned,  have  you  observed  of  the  domination  of  the  mass 
rather  than  of  individuals  ? 

2.  What  valuable  features  do  you  find  in  class  work? 

3.  What  objectionable  features? 

4.  Is  it  possible  to  retain  the  valuable  features  while 
doing  justice  to  individuals? 

V.  The    Fundamental    Importance    of    Our 
Conception  of  School  Machinery.     P.  7. 

1.  Do  you  maintain  that  machinery  and  routine,  or 
pupils,  as  individuals,  should  dominate  the  work  of  your 
school? 

2.  Give  as  much  evidence  as  you  can,  based  on  fact 


SUGGESTIVE   QUESTIONS.  41 

and  observation,  to  show  that  the  one  or  the  other  does 
actually  determine  the  practice  in  your  room  or  in  your 
building. 

VI.  The  Use  and  Abuse  of  Formulae.    P.  9. 

1.  Is  the  real  function,  the  use  and  the  abuse,  of 
formulae,  fairly  represented? 

2.  What  formulae  are  you  accustomed  to  use ;  to  what 
extent  do  you  use  them ;  why  do  you  use  them ;  what 
advantages  and  what  disadvantages  have  you  observed  to 
result  ? 

VII.  Elaborate  Topical  Analyses.     P.  10. 

1.  Is  the  analysis  and  the  criticism  of  the  function  and 
use  of  topics  fair  and  warranted,  as  far  as  it  goes  ? 

2.  What  are  your  ideas,  and  what  is  your  practice 
respecting  topics  ? 

3.  What  good  and  what  evil  effects  have  you  observed 
which  were  due  to  your  use  of  topics  ? 

4.  Just  why  do  you  use  topics  as  you  do? 

5.  What  different  course  have  you  ever  pursued,  and 
with  what  results  ? 

VIII.  Objects      and     Devices     in      Primary 
Grades.     P.  12. 

1.  What  objects  and  devices  are  used  in  your  primary 
grades  ? 

2.  What  is  the  purpose  of  each  ? 

3.  How  are  they  used  so  that  they  serve  their 
purpose  ? 


4z  SUGGESTIVE    QUESTIONS. 

4.  What  evidence  have  you  that  each  one  does  serve 
its  purpose? 

5.  What  misuse  of  objects  and  devices  have  you  ever 
seen?     Explain  fully. 

IX.  The     True     Place     and     Function     of 
System,  Organization,  Machinery.     P.  12. 

1.  What  changes  in  the  general  organization,  classifi- 
cation, management  of  your  own  room  or  building  have  you 
made  recently?     For  what  purpose? 

2.  What  methods  or  devices  in  the  presentation  of 
work  or  the  conduct  of  exercises  have  you  recently 
originated,  abandoned,  or  modified?     For  what  purpose? 

X.  Individuals  vs.  Human  Units.     P.  14. 

1.  Do  you  believe  in  looking  for  individual  capacity 
and  seeking  to  develop  it,  or  is  it  really  better  to  treat  all 
alike,  leaving  individual  capacity  to  discover  and  develop 
itself? 

2.  What  marked  differences  of  capacity,  interest  and 
tendency  have  you  observed  in  your  pupils  ? 

3.  What  difference,  if  any,  has  this  made  in  your 
treatment  of  them? 

XI.  What  are  we  to  Understand  by  Indivi- 
dual Work?     P.  15. 

1.  Do  you  believe  in  "individual  work",  as  here 
described  ?     Why,  or  why  not? 

2.  How  many  pupils  have  you  who  are  generally 
working  in  this  way?  How  many  who  are  working  in  this 
way  in  some  things,  or  occasionally  ?     Why  are  they  not  so 


SUGGESTIVE    QUESTIONS.  43 

working  constantly,  in  all  things?  This  will  be  an  appro- 
priate place  to  discuss  plans  of  work  in  the  different 
subjects. 

XII.  The  Teacher's  Function.    P.  16. 

1.  Have  you  ordered  the  conditions  in  your  room, 
or  building,  so  that  your  pupils  can  work  in  the  way 
described  ? 

2.  In  so  ordering  conditions,  what  changes  have  you 
made? 

3.  If  you  have  not  done  this,  what  efforts  have  you 
made? 

4.  What  difficulties  have  you  encountered? 

5.  What  kind  of  aid  do  your  pupils  seek? 

6.  What  evidence  have  you  that  they  are  growing 
stronger  or  weaker,  more  self-reliant  or  more  dependent? 

XIII.  Responsibility,   an  End  and  a    Means 
of  Education.    P.  17. 

1.  For  what  do  you  hold  your  pupils  responsible? 

2.  What  evidence  have  you  that  they  feel  responsible 
for  these  things  ? 

3.  Are  their  responsibilities  imposed  as  a  part  of  their 
training,  or  mainly  incidentally? 

4.  What  growth  do  your  pupils  show  in  power  to 
discharge  responsibilities  ? 

XIV.  Compulsion  Not  Necessary.    P.  17. 

1.  When  given  the  opportunity  to  work  "individ- 
ually "  ,  how  have  your  pupils  responded? 

2.  What  seems  to  be  the  motive  of   those  who  do 


44  SUGGESTIVE   QUESTIONS. 

well  ?     Of  those  who  do  only  fairly  well  ?     Of  those  who  do 
poorly  ? 

3.  What  responsibility  do  they  seem  to  feel  for  their 
success  or  failure  ?     How  do  they  manifest  their  feeling  ? 

XV.  What   Are  We  Really  Trying  to  Do? 
P.  18. 

1.  To  what  extent  are  you  seeking  primarily  the 
things  enumerated,  and  things  of  that  order? 

2.  If  you  think  you  are  making  the  needs  of  your 
pupils  of  first  importance,  show  what  you  are  doing  to  this 
end. 

XVI.  Our    Enormous    Waste    of    Time    and 
Effort.    P.  20. 

1.  How  many  schoolrooms  do  you  know  in  which 
less  than  one  hour  a  day,  nearly  one-fourth  of  the  time,  is 
wasted  ? 

2.  How  many  schoolrooms  do  you  know  in  which 
one-half  the  time  is  wasted? 

XVII.  We    Teachers    are    an    Unpractical 
Class.     P.  20. 

1.  To  what  extent  do  you  agree  with  the  observation 
regarding  the  general  unpractically  of  teachers  ? 

2.  How  many  teachers  do  you  know  who  are  in  the 
habit  of  applying  rigidly  the  test  of  efficiency  to  their  plans 
and  methods? 

3.  What  is  your  practice  in  this  respect? 


SUGGESTIVE    QUESTIONS.  45 

XVIII.  The     Sole     Justification     of     Any 
Method.     P.  22. 

1.  What  do  you  think  of  the  statement  that  efficiency 
is  the  sole  ground  on  which  any  method  can  be  justified? 

2.  What  criticism  would  you  make  of  the  "  determin- 
ing characteristics  of  an  approved  method  or  exercise  "  ? 

XIX.  The  Sacred  Spelling  Device.     P.  23. 

What  can  you  say  from  experience  or  observation  in 
favor  of  the  "sacred  device  for  learning  the  spelling 
lesson  ?  " 

XX.  How     May     the     Spelling     Lesson     be 
Attacked  Effectively?     P.  26. 

1.  How  many  of  your  pupils  study  their  spelling 
lessons  intelligently? 

2.  What  do  you  do  to  help  them  to  study  more 
effectively  ? 

3.  What  other  ways  besides  copying  do  your  pupils 
find  effective  ? 

4.  What  variation  have  you  observed  in  the  way 
different  pupils  attack  and  master  their  spelling  ? 

5.  What  are  the  dangers  in  a  class  exercise  on  the 
difficulties  in  a  spelling  lesson  ? 

XXI.  Our  Work  in  Spelling  Typical.    P.  28. 

What  other  plans  and  practices  have  you  observed 
which  are  similar  in  their  wastefulness  and  ineffectiveness 
to  the  spelling  device. 


46  SUGGESTIVE   QUESTIONS. 

XXII.  Our    Expensive    Manufacturing    En- 
terprises.   P.  28. 

1.  How  much  time  do  your  pupils  spend  in  the  kind 
of  copying  indicated? 

2.  Why  do  you  have  them  spend   any  time  in  this 
way  ? 

3.  What   other   non-educational    occupations    do   you 
require,  or  have  you  seen,  in  a  schoolroom  ? 

XXIII.  A     "Well-Timed"     But     Valueless 
Exercise.    P.  30. 

1.  How  much  of  your  daily  program  is  given  up  to 
exercises  of  this  kind  ? 

2.  What   lessons   suffer   most   frequently,    and    most 
severely,  in  this  way? 

3.  Under  what  circumstances  may  such  a  lesson  ever 
be  justified  ? 

4.  Why    do    pupils    generally    read    so    poorly    in 
grammar  grades  and  in  the  high  school  ? 

5.  What  are  some  of  the  evidences  of  passive  reading? 
of  active  ? 

6.  What  are  you  doing  to  improve   the  reading  in 
your  schools?     With  what  result? 

XXIV.  Abortive  Efforts.     P.  32. 

1.  Why  should  we  seek  in  every  exercise  to  accom- 
plish some  definite  thing? 

2.  Is  this  possible  in  all  subjects  ?     Illustrate. 

3.  Under   what  circumstances  should  an  exercise  be 
closed  before  the  thing  attempted  has  been  accomplished  ? 


SUGGESTIVE   QUESTIONS.  47 

XXV.  The     Waste     of     The     Unemployed. 
P.  32. 

1.  What  portion  of  your  pupils'  time  is  wasted 
through  inactivity,  half-activity,  misdirected  and  ineffective 
activity  ? 

2.  What  is  the  cause  of  this  waste  and  how  are  you 
seeking  to  check  it? 

XXVI.  We    Must    Learn    to    Apply    Sound 
Business  Principles.    P.  33. 

1.  In  what  ways  not  already  mentioned  are  time  and 
effort  wasted  ? 

2.  How  much  time,  previously  wasted,  have  you  been 
able  to  save  ?     How  ? 

3.  What  wastes  do  you  see  which  you  are  not  yet 
able  to  check  ?     What  efforts  are  you  making  ? 

XXVII.  What   Each   One   of   Us    Ought   to 
be  Doing.     P.  34. 

1 .  Do  you  want  to  work  in  the  manner  indicated  ? 

2.  Do  you  feel  that  you  are  working  in  that  way  ? 

XXVIII.  Are  Conditions  Favorable?     P.  34. 

1.  What  conditions  surrounding  you  are  unfavorable 
to  your  own  "individual  work"? 

2.  Who  is  responsible  for  the  unfavorable  conditions? 

3.  What  change,  if  any,  in  the  attitude  and  relations 
to  each  other  of  superintendent,  supervisors,  masters  and 
teachers,  do  you  think  desirable?  Make  any  suggestions 
frankly. 


48  SUGGESTIVE   QUESTIONS. 

XXIX.  The    Relation    of    the    Supervisory 
Force  to  the  Teachers.     P.  34. 

1.  What  can  superintendent,  supervisors  and  masters 
do  to  make  the  conditions  surrounding  teachers  more 
favorable  to  successful  work? 

2.  Wherein  does  supervisory  aid  lack  in  effectiveness? 

3.  To  what  extent  are  we,  every  one  of  us,  trying  to 
conceal  our  weaknesses,  rather  than  seeking  aid  frankly  to 
overcome  them? 

XXX.  A  False  Position.     P.  35. 

1.  In  about  what  proportion  is  your  time,  as  master, 
divided  between  real,  professional  supervision,  clerical  work, 
unskilled  labor,  and  other  duties  ? 

2.  What  duties  of  the  highest  order,  that  is,  requiring 
more  skill  and  intelligence  than  most  teachers  possess,  do 
you  habitually  perform? 

3.  How  can  you  increase  your  value  to  your  school? 


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